Electric railway



(No Model.)

B. M. HUNTER.

ELEGTRIG RAILWAY.

No. 377,107. Patented Jan. 81, 1888.

lnveni'or N. PETE as. Phuln-Lilllcgmpher. Washington, a. c.

the car and battery-changing apparatus.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

QSPECIPICATIQN iorining part of Letters Patent No. 377,107, datedJanuary 31, 1888.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement inElectric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to electric railways; and it consists incertain improvements, all of which are fully set forth in the followingspecification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form partthereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a convenient and quick methodof supporting and changing storage-batteries on street-cars or othervehicles.

In carrying out my invention I provide compartments under the seats orother convenient parts of the car, and at the charging-station I providealiftin the track which can be quickly raised and lowered for thepurpose of removing or inserting one or more storage-batteries from orinto the said compartments 011 the car. Vhen raised, the removablebattery-supporting buttons or doors are locked in place by suitablemeans.

I do not confine myself to any particular means for accomplishing thelift or for securing the batteries to the car, as they may be made in alarge number of ways and yet be wlthin the spirit of my invention.

The motor may be supported on the car in any suitable manner and coupledwith the sec ondary batteries in series or otherwise, as desired. Bysupporting the different cells of a battery on a single removable boardor bottom they can all be removed orinscrted at once in a convenient andspeedy manner and with but little labor. The automatic coupling-contactsmay be provided, with the result of quickly coupling the cells as anincident to their being placed in position on the car.

In the drawings, Figurel is a side elevation of anelectrically-propelled vehicle and my improved battery-changingapparatus. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line :r as, showing one-half ofFig. 3 is a perspective view showing method of coupling up thebattery-cells in the car.

A is the car, having the seats 0 and compartments 13 under the seats,made open on the bottom and adapted to be closed by removable bottomsF,locked in place by bolts H, orother equivalent device.

K are the lifting-platforms, and are raised and lowered by suit-ablelifts, L, shown in this case as hydraulic lifts, receiving watersupplyby pipe N and controlled by a valve, M, operated by a handle, P.

O is the dischargepipe, and the valve M is of the usual pattern of athree-way valve, allowing the water to enter the cylinder or dischargetherefrom.

The table or platform K is provided with guides k preferably madeflaring, so as to re ceive the axles D of the car and move it exactly inposition to receive the batteries standing upon the platform K as itrises up on each side of the axles. Any other form of adjusting devicemay be used in place of the guides shown. The platform K, when lowered,descends into the compartment 1, arranged close to the trackrail E, soas to work as closely to the wheels as possible, and when loweredreceive the floors and batteries, so thatthe car may pass above theminto position to receive them when they are raised.

In operating, the car is brought over one lift, such as described, andthe lift raised until the pressure is taken off the locks H. The locksare then withdrawn and the bat teries lowered. The car is then movedover another lift having fresh batteries, and these are raised inposition and locked in the compartment B. The lift is then lowered andthe car moves on. If desired, the entire operation may be done with onelift only for each side of the car.

The batteries are made up of a number of cells, each of which has itsterminals t, which, when the batteries are raised into operativeposition in the compartment B,press against the circuit-closing springsI, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the several batteries are similarlycoupled up by springs I, Fig. 1.

R is the electric motor, andr the motor-circuit connecting with thebatteries,and may be provided with a resistance-changer, S.

It is evident that the various details may be modified by one skilled inthe art without in the least departing from the merits of the invention.

Any matters herein set out but not claimed are not dedicated to thepublic, but form subteries supported upon said removable bottom,

and detachable locks to detachably secure said removable bottoms inplace.

3. The combination of a car'having com partments under the seats, aremovable bottom for said compartments, and secondary batteriessupported upon said removable bottom, and stationary contacts forautomatically connecting the cells of the battery in circuit uponplacing said battery in working position in the car. 7

4E. The combination of a car having com partments under the seats withtwo or more re movable bottoms under each seatcompartment and asecondary battery upon each bottom.

5. The combination of a car having compartments underthe seats with twoor more removable bottoms under each seat-compartment, a secondarybattery upon each bottom, and connecting-circuits for electricallyconmeeting the several batteries under the same seat-compartment.

6. The combination of the railway, lifts located below the railway, anelectrically-propelled ear having compartments under itsseats and abovethe lifts, and storage batteries adapted to be supported upon the liftand raised into the compartments under the seats.

draulic lift located below the railway and close to each rail, valves tocontrol the movements of said lifts, an electrically-propelled carhavingcompartments under its seats and above the lifts, andstorage-batteriesadapted to be supported upon thelift and raised into the compartmentsunder the seats.

8. The combination of the railway, alift located below the railway andhaving guides acting on the axles to automatically adjust the car intoposition to receive the batteries, an

0 7. The combination of the railway, a hyelectrically-propelled carhaving compartments under its seats and above the lifts, andstorage-batteries adapted to be supported upon the lift and raised intothe compartments under the seats.

9. The combination of the railway, a car adapted to receivestorage-batteries from be low, a lift or elevating device having aplatform or frame for receiving and lifting the storage-batteries intoposition, and guides to hold the car in position above the lifts.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

R. M. HUNTER.

Witnesses:

E. M. BREOKINREED, Bram). S. CHILD, Jr.

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